


Black Cat

by misbehavingvigilante



Series: Marvel Spookytober Prompts 2019 [17]
Category: Marvel, Marvel 1872
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 14:45:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21076616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misbehavingvigilante/pseuds/misbehavingvigilante
Summary: It’s not the first time he’s thrown Stark in jail.It’s not even the first time he’s thrown Stark in jail for there to be someone else in there with him. All things considered, Stark was the jail’s most frequent occupant but far from the sole one. That said, it was the first time something like this had happened.





	Black Cat

**Author's Note:**

> [{Join me for the spook}](https://marvelspookytoberprompts.tumblr.com/post/188006745165/click-to-see-a-better-quality-of-the-prompts)
> 
> Day 17 - Black Cat
> 
> More 1872 spook because who else is going to do it lol.

It’s not the first time he’s thrown Stark in jail.

It’s not even the first time he’s thrown Stark in jail for there to be someone else in there with him. All things considered, Stark was the jail’s most frequent occupant but far from the sole one. That said, it was the first time something like this had happened.

Steve had stepped out all but for a minute and then come back to Tony having a scruffy looking black cat in his lap, apparently not minding being held at all. In Steve’s experience, holding a cat was a good way to get bit or scratched, if they came to you that was different but even then they usually just brushed against you or meowed for food.

“How did that get in?”

“Cats are pretty flexible.” Tony said like this was obvious, scratching under the black cat’s chin that started to purr loudly after the fact. “Bars don’t let a man out, but well, it’d be hard to keep a cat out.”

“You don’t have food in your pockets, do you?”

Steve had patted Tony down to a degree but then Tony had gotten flirtatious about it and thus Steve hadn’t been quite as vigilant as he should have been upon throwing him into the cell. Tony was awfully good about tempting a man. Food would be one way to draw a cat to you and Steve wouldn’t put it past Tony to try and teach a cat how to steal keys with all the time Tony was spending in jail recently. 

There really had been an uptick, one that Steve hadn't really understood why that was.

Unfortunately for Tony, Steve was rather hands on about where he kept the keys so even something as admittedly cute looking as a cat wasn’t going to be able to run off with them easily. The cat was scruffy, but really that only served to remind him of Tony more and he was rather endeared to all things Tony. 

“As if cats only like me for food.” Which didn’t really answer his question but the cat did look rather content to let Tony do whatever he wanted even with no clear signs of food about. Maybe Tony had been feeding the cat without him knowing thus winning the cat’s affection? Though with what Tony had just said that seemed somewhat unlikely, perhaps it was as simple as Tony had wanted companionship and apparently the cat in question hadn’t been averse to such a thing either.

“Right, cat or no cat you’re still not getting out early.”

“There goes my dastardly plan about playing on your cat-loving heart strings to let me out early.” For added flair Tony even attempted to curl his mustache more out of place like a two-bit villain might. Steve barely held back the urge to laugh. 

As if on cue, the cat meowed.

Steve blinked, that was odd but he thought nothing much of it until he went back to his desk and read one of his books instead. If he was lucky, Tony would be quiet and not sing, cats had sensitive ears after all and it wasn’t like Tony would want to hurt the cat.

For a while things are quiet, aside from purring which the cat seems really content to keep up and Tony mutterings things to the cat that Steve discreetly looks over every once in a while just to make sure Tony isn’t trying anything. Tony does look admittedly nice with a cat, something about the image makes him think so at least.

So Steve re-invests himself heavily in his book instead of that thought.

Then there’s a meow in front of him, the cat had apparently decided to move out of the jail cell and onto Steve’s desk. Steve looks at the cat, only lowering the book slightly. “I’m not giving you the keys, either.”

The cat head-butts his book and meows again.

“Oh, come on Rogers. Have a heart and pet the poor thing.”

Steve sighed, switching the book around until he can hold it in one hand and pet the cat with another. The purring begins again, Steve hadn’t really noticed its absence until it had been gone. It's much closer like this and it is a soothing tone on a lonely night such as this. 

“Not really my cat, but clearly we have something in common.” Tony said, eyes fully on Steve, the attention is rather blatant in what Tony means however something about the phrase brings Steve out of his musings rather quick like. 

“Pretty sure it’s your cat now, Stark. You better not leave me to care of it.” Not that Steve wouldn't, but clearly the cat seemed to like Tony much more than it liked him. 

“I wouldn’t but I’m not going to stop if someone wants to visit you either. Such a dusty, gloomy place in here after all.”

Everything clicks in the place with that admission. Steve isn't sure he's completely able to keep his tone neutral but he tries. “Oh, so you’ve been getting arrested to keep me company?”

Tony is strangely quiet after all. Too much quiet. That in itself is another admission. 

“Don’t throw your reputation anymore in the mud on my account.”

“If you took anything else but the law seriously then maybe I wouldn’t have to.”

“Don’t abuse the justice system just to see me.” Steve is annoyed, he is but he’s also kind of touched that Tony was going through such lengths to begin with. He sits his book down, and the cat seems properly sated now with his attention that Steve walks back to the cell. “Though, I suppose we could do something other than spend our nights together like this.”

“The jail cell does get in the way, admittedly.” Tony said standing up, letting his fingers brush against Steve’s on touching the bars. There’s no way anyone can quite see it with Steve’s girth blocking the door and only the moonlight lighting up the cell instead.

“So where did you find the cat?”

“The cat found me.” Tony pointed out. “Been trying to think of a name but nothing’s quite stuck yet, maybe you could help me out?”

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna chat, I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thiefoftruth26)


End file.
